I am a Creative Loop: Towards Integrative Studios in Design and Creative Technologies

Abstract

Feedback loops take place when the output of a system is fed back into its input, and the emergent results of this connection can be surprising and interesting as seen in video feedback art. I build here on the idea of “strange loops” developed from mathematics, neuroscience and philosophy to think about consciousness. Strange loops can be observed between the brain and mind, between the individual and society, and between thinking and doing in design. As one looks for their essence, we cross between levels of abstraction to find ourselves back where we started. I use this metaphor to define creative loops and apply them to critically examine how theory and practice co-exist in design education and research. The paper closes with two strategies to integrate theory and practice in design: by combination and by chunking.

Keywords

• Design education
• Research supervision
• Consciousness
• Dialogic learning
• Visual thinking